Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 19, 2026
Assessment of Pulmonary Capillary Blood Volume, Membrane Diffusing Capacity, and Intrapulmonary Arteriovenous Anastomoses During Exercise
Published on: February 20, 2017
Using contrast material-enhanced echocardiography to identify abnormal pulmonary arteriovenous connections in
H M Dansky1, M E Schwinger, M V Cohen
1Division of Cardiology, Montefiore Medical Center, New York.
Abstract:
The phenomenon of abnormal pulmonary arteriovenous connections in patients with acquired lung disease rarely has been reported. We report three patients with acquired lung disease and hypoxia that did not respond to the administration of 100 percent oxygen. Contrast-material-enhanced echocardiography demonstrated intrapulmonary right-to-left shunting in all three patients. These cases suggest that patients with hypoxia due to acquired lung disease may be screened by contrast-enhanced echocardiography to identify the presence and the location of anatomic right-to-left shunts.
